The Joy of Writing Liner Notes

I've been writing DVD liner notes for a number of years, and they always are a unique challenge. Somehow, one has to fill up a certain amount of space with text that is informative and hopefully interesting. The past year I've been busy doing liners for BCI's Deimos line of Paul Naschy and Spanish horror DVDs, and as these appear as foldout six pagers, there's much that can be written, if I like. I'm not mandated to write a certain length, but I have a goal of at least a thousand words. The reality is that once I get going, I proceed much further than that, nearing the two thousand mark on occasion. At times, these liners write themselves--meaning, the ideas and background information flow freely. At other times, at the beginning, I wonder how I will be about to write one hundred words, let alone a thousand or two. Both scenarios presented themselves with the liners I am finishing off now, both for Naschy films--HUMAN BEASTS and BLUE EYES OF THE BROKEN DOLL. It may be a case of burn-out, but I just didn't know what I could write about BLUE EYES OF THE BROKEN DOLL. I felt that HUMAN BEASTS would be the easier of the two, as I knew I would want to write about Naschy's involvement with Japan and Japanese capital. But even then, there would be serious work ahead. Well, as it turned out, while mulling over the BLUE EYES "angle," I had an inspiration of just what I wanted to do with the piece, and now I've more text on BLUE EYES, the supposed difficult assignment, and less on HUMAN BEASTS. No matter. I am thankful for the burst of inspiration, wherever it comes from, wherever it goes.

Today (Sunday), I managed to get one more detail into my HUMAN BEASTS liners: the English translation of the Japanese title of the video release. I went to St. Mark's Place, here in Manhattan, which nowadays has been taken over by Japanese food shops, restaurants and sushi bars, and many Asian kids, not all of them Japanese. I thought I would have an easy time of it, and with a copy of the Japanese cover of HUMAN BEASTS, I approached several store clerks... to find that none knew how to read Japanese! Either they were almost too young to care about ever learning the language, except maybe in talking it with their parents, or they were not Japanese. Disappointed, I made my way home, determined to stop in one last place--a Japanese restaurant on Second Avenue that was closer to home. I always see female waitresses there, so I was hesitant about going inside and showing the rather brutal and gory video cover. I still wasn't certain I would go through with my intention, when I saw a young Japanese guy cleaning up the floor near the entrance. So I rushed in before he could escape into the back and politely asked him if he would translate the writing on the cover. There was still a chance he wouldn't know either Japanese or English well enough to do the job, but he did it perfectly, adding that the film was in the horror genre, as his translation of the title was rendered with a little amused embarrassment. Thanking him "very much," I left the restaurant, but in turning a corner, I decided to go back and ask him to write down his name, as I wanted to acknowledge his help with a thanks at the end of the liner notes. And so, the translation of the Japanese title will appear in the liners, as will this young man's name.

So it goes. Piece by piece, these liners get filled up with factoids and research and some opinion. And it can take two hours of pursuing someone who reads Japanese, or two hours to translate an article in an old Spanish cinema magazine, for the gift of a single sentence.

Philadelphia Scenes

A city with many dreams for the offering if you walk down the right streets/allies. Photographs can barely hint at quite atmosphere, warm with melancholia and spirits of another time.

The Pan Within

The Waterboys. I believe in the Pan within. Fauny video, too.

Home is Where the Heart Is?

[Written away from home.]

Being away for a longer period of time from what was one's adult home for nearly two decades makes one reflect on what a home is and its value. Particularly after a nasty, but symbolically rich dream in which one was never able to get home. (A dream that would make a splendid, absurdist European movie.)

As a person gets older, the roots are dug deeper into what constitutes home, till finally, it seems, the senior citizen merely dozes in his or her favorite chair by the electronic warmth of a TV monitor. There is contentment to an extent, though shadowed by the anxiety of impending death. We are born into security, seek change and adventure starting in our teens, and then, once past our forties, become ever receptive to being at home, cozy and snug with the possessions that give us comfort by their familiarity and evocation of nostalgia. I don't know if this inevitable fate is the one I want for myself, but I feel these impulses, which are, after all, natural to the human condition. I'd replace the TV monitor with a crackling fireplace and a book resting on my lap--and I'd be set. Still, even in such a passive old age, I'd want some excitement. But would dreams be excitement's only channel?

More to come....

Life Changes

September was a time for a couple of considerable Life Changes. The biggest one was the departure of my son for college in Washington, DC. I was a Mr. Mom to my son, so his departure was emotional for me, and a life passage for the both of us. Though I've been a long-time proponent of independence and striking out on one's own, when you experience the absence of someone you love dearly, someone you have raised and have had great fun with--well, you get a different perspective, and start thinking how natural it is for families to live under one roof or at least in close proximity. And then, if you've had only one child, you also think if it wouldn't have been more natural and healthy to have an extra one or two. Maybe a dozen to make up a sports team. The reality would be, of course, that such a situation would prove very costly and that any goals one might have outside of raising and supporting a family would probably vanish.

Anyway, here's a toast to my son's new adventures in a new life. I know I was eager for the same things when I was in my late teens, and he should enjoy life to the fullest. Youth cannot be, should not be, wasted.

Talking to Helga Line

So yesterday, about noon, I talked to Helga Line. I came home from some household chores to find Helga Line's voice on my answering machine. Previously in the week I had given her maid or housekeeper my phone number, but I never expected a call, as I thought communications were at a standstill, either due to a failure to communicate or simple disinterest on the other party's side. But it was Line's voice on the machine, and since she spoke English, I could fully understand her. So hoping that she would still be at the number she gave over to the answering machine (a different phone number than the one I had been calling), I dialed and found myself speaking to Helga Line a moment later.

I briefly explained who I was and about my interest in interviewing her, not forgetting to mention that I was writing liner notes for two films she had starred in, whose DVDs would be released later in the year in the United States. The first film I mentioned, in my best Spanish, was LAS GARRAS DE LORELEI, and Line's reaction was immediate and surprising. (What she said will be revealed in my liners for the DVD.) Later, after I made sure I had a bit more from her about the film and its director Amando de Ossorio, we talked briefly about the next film of hers that would be released on DVD in America--EL ESPANTO SURGE DE LA TUMBA, or in English, HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB, with the by-now legendary Paul Naschy. Her reaction to Naschy and the film was--well, it pleased me, but her responses will also have to wait to see the light of day in another set of liner notes.

I went over her career in a quick overview, starting with her work as a child in the circus, where she was a contortionist. There were not that many surprises along the way, and Line could not offer specifics, as she's done an incredible amount of films and most of these were about three decades ago. I made sure at various instances to inform her how beloved she is by cult-movie fans in the United States, and asked her if she was aware of her status among a segment of film fans.

"I don't understand this," she replied modestly, but undoubtedly with a smile on her face that I could not see but could feel over the phone and the distance between us.

I didn't want to overstay my welcome, as it were, and I wasn't that prepared to interview her fully at that point, so we said our farewells, with Line saying that since I was so very nice and complimentary, she would give me her address in Argentina (where, I assume, she lives a good deal of time) and also her phone number there.

Of course, I hope to contact her again, this time prepared to explore her life and career with the thoroughness it deserves. But what a day, I thought afterward. I just spoke to the Helga Line, one of the most renowned actresses in euro-cult, and one of the most elusive.

Calling Emma Cohen

It is worth noting that yesterday, about noon, I called Emma Cohen. Emma Cohen is a Spanish actress (and authoress), who is most known in the United States among euro-cult fans for her roles in such films as HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB, CUT-THROATS NINE and, possibly, CANNIBAL MAN. Her resume is far lengthier than that, of course, but such is fame that one finds it sometimes in the least expected places--at least for the actors and actresses who starred in genre films once upon a time. They may have forgotten about these films, but we haven't.

My call, with my Spanish-speaking friend Louis assisting me, came after a third attempt last month to contact Helga Line, another euro-cult actress. I wasn't expecting to reach her, but the person who picked up the phone was a female--and, yes, she confirmed that she was the Emma Cohen. After a frustrating time talking to Helga Line's maid (if it was her maid and not her), talking to Ms. Cohen, however briefly, was refreshing, even exhilarating. Her Spanish was spoken with precision and kindness (Louis and I tried to confirm her e-mail address several times, and Ms. Cohen exhibited lovely patience with us), and her voice was clear, youthful, sensitive and intelligent.

She had guests, so I was not able to interview her at that moment (I wasn't prepared, either), but with her e-mail received, I was sure to approach her again with questions about her life and career.

Now the dilemma is whether Emma Cohen will want to respond to questions about the films she is most famous for here in the United States. I said to her, through Louis, my interpretor, that I wanted to interview her about her career, so she doesn't suspect the specific direction many of my questions will take. (Though, obviously, I will address other parts of her career in some measure, too, not just that horror stuff.) In my next introduction to her, via e-mail, I will be upfront about my reason for interviewing her--research for my book on Spanish fantaterror films and for DVD liner notes.

As far as I know, Emma Cohen has never been interviewed about her genre films. Considered an intellectual, she may not be interested in going down the memory path of films she may think beneath her nowadays. But, then again, her voice was so lovely and her demeanor so casual, that it may not be that much of a big deal to her.

We shall see. As beauty can be deceiving, so can voices be.